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High Expectations: An Observational Study of Programming and Cannabis Intoxication (2402.19194v1)

Published 29 Feb 2024 in cs.SE

Abstract: Anecdotal evidence of cannabis use by professional programmers abounds. Recent studies have found that some professionals regularly use cannabis while programming even for work-related tasks. However, accounts of the impacts of cannabis on programming vary widely and are often contradictory. For example, some programmers claim that it impairs their ability to generate correct solutions while others claim it enhances creativity and focus. There remains a need for an empirical understanding of the true impacts of cannabis on programming. This paper presents the first controlled observational study of the effects of cannabis on programming ability. Based on a within-subjects design with over 70 participants, we find that at ecologically valid dosages, cannabis significantly impairs programming performance. Programs implemented while high contain more bugs and take longer to write (p < 0.05), a small to medium effect (0.22 <= d <= 0.44). We also did not find any evidence that high programmers generate more divergent solutions. However, programmers can accurately assess differences in their programming performance (r = 0.59), even when under the influence of cannabis. We hope that this research will facilitate evidence-based policies and help developers make informed decisions regarding cannabis use while programming.

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Summary

  • The paper demonstrates that cannabis intoxication leads to a 10–14% reduction in test case success and 11–14% slower task completion.
  • The research employs a controlled, within-subjects design with more than 70 participants to quantify performance degradation using accuracy and speed metrics.
  • The study challenges anecdotal claims of cannabis-enhanced creativity by finding no significant increase in innovative problem-solving approaches.

Assessing the Impact of Cannabis on Programming Performance

The paper explores the largely uncharted territory of the relationships between cannabis intoxication and programming performance, one marked by anecdotal claims yet lacking empirical data. The paper systematically examines this phenomenon through a controlled observational design involving over 70 participants, evaluating various facets of programming effectiveness under cannabis intoxication compared to sober conditions.

Core Findings

The research employs a within-subjects design to assess the effects of cannabis on programming accuracy and efficiency. The results indicate significant degradation in performance attributable to cannabis intoxication, quantified by an increase in the number of programming errors and extended time periods required for task completion. Specifically, cannabis use was found to impair programming correctness, with a moderate effect size ranging from 0.22 to 0.44 and causing programmers to pass 10-14% fewer test cases on average. Additionally, programming speed suffered, with intoxicated programmers taking approximately 11%-14% more time to complete tasks, corroborating the hypothesis that cannabis slows down programming performance.

Interestingly, despite prevalent anecdotes suggesting cannabis enhances creativity, the paper found no empirical support for increased divergent thinking or innovative problem-solving under the influence of cannabis. Whether it be through divergent algorithmic choices or stylistic coding variations, the intoxicated participants did not exhibit significant differences compared to their sober counterparts. This finding challenges prevailing notions and suggests that any perceived creativity benefits associated with cannabis use do not manifest in discernible variations in programming methodology.

Methodological Considerations

The paper's robust methodological framework deserves commendation, integrating pre-registered hypotheses, ecologically valid settings, and a diverse participant sample from multiple metropolitan areas. Such rigor lends substantial credibility to the findings and facilitates generalizability toward standard programming environments. Remote, ethically sensitive arrangements ensured participant safety and confidentiality, essential given the legal complexities surrounding cannabis use.

Metrics and stimuli for assessing performance encompassed both routine and complex programming tasks, with attention to correctness (quantified through extensive test cases) and temporal efficiency. Manual and automated annotation procedures provided comprehensive evaluations of both the derived solutions and strategic approach variances. Although limitations exist—primarily due to the inability to standardize the dosage and, therefore, the degree of intoxication—the paper advances our understanding of this intersection of psychoactive substance use and professional expertise.

Practical Implications and Future Directions

The outcomes reveal practical implications for individual developers and organizational policy-making. On the one hand, developers should be aware of potential performance degradations related to cannabis use, especially in contexts where accuracy and efficiency are paramount. On the other hand, businesses must navigate the responsible formulation of cannabis-related employment policies—considering that developers correctly perceive performance declines when using cannabis, indicating self-awareness and potential for self-regulation even under intoxication. Furthermore, the moderate effect size of cannabis impairment suggests that individual performance differences may overshadow the influence of intoxication—contextual insight valuable to HR policies.

Future research could aim to broaden the investigatory scope, exploring other psychoactive substances, longer-term performance trajectories, or integrating differing cannabis consumption methods such as edibles. The potential interaction between cannabis intoxication and cognitive task dimensions like debugging, which was only briefly touched on in this paper, merits deeper exploration.

In summary, this paper provides a meaningful contribution to the discourse on cannabis use in professional settings, especially within the highly cognitive discipline of software engineering. Through methodical examination and critical evaluation, it dispels myths surrounding cannabis-enhanced creativity while demonstrating clear impairments in programming performance. This empirical evidence can serve as a foundation for further inquiry and the prudent development of related personnel policies.

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